Weymouth punk rockers Weatherstate take a joyride down five of the best Mario Kart Rainbow Road levels
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15.02.2021

Weymouth punk rockers Weatherstate take a joyride down five of the best Mario Kart Rainbow Road levels

Forever a staple of the Mario Kart series.

Weymouth punk band Weatherstate have kicked off 2021 with the release of their cathartic, riff-fuelled new single ‘Hangar’ via their new record label Rude Records.

A heavy track driven by the dramatic events of 2020, the new single is reflective of individual coping mechanisms when the going gets tough, “understanding that sometimes a crutch is needed to stay sane, whether that be self-destructive, or progressive through the helping hand of a friend,” says vocalist and guitarist Harry Hoskins.

To celebrate the release of the track – a promising taste of what’s to come from the band this year – Weathersate sat down with Forte to look at their top Rainbow Road levels, ostensibly the most iconic course in the Mario Kart franchise.

Laced with nostalgia, here’s what they had to say:

1. Mario Kart Double Dash: Rainbow Road

“With Mario Kart Double Dash being objectively the best Mario Kart game in history (until Mario Kart 8 released of course) this level is nothing short of a classic. Hours were spent in 2003 (and nearly 2 decades later) tag-teaming with a mate vs 2 other friends, taking in terms to switch up, one taking the wheel, and the other being the brute force. This rainbow road was a step up from the 64 in every way possible. The 3D level design makes the action feel even more chaotic, which then got evolved on as the series progressed. But nothing will beat the charm of the GameCube’s cult classic Double Dash” – Harry Hoskins

2. Super Mario Kart: The Original Rainbow Road

“As a young’un’ this track gave me many hours of sheer joy and utter frustration as my “pals” nudged me off the edge and pulled off that jammy stunt jump, projecting them to the front of the pack. This has to be my track that is held above all others as it set a fantastic precedent for all others to come. 16bit graphics will always hold a special place in my heart, pure nostalgia! Flashy new tracks like those seen in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are great fun but don’t bring that warm fuzzy feeling like the classics give me”. – Toby Wrobel

3: Mario Kart Wii: Rainbow Road

After the success of Double Dash this game had some big shoes to fill. Whilst not being considered as legendary as the GameCube instalment of the series, Mario Kart Wii has some standout tracks, Rainbow Road being one of them. To take advantage of the new motion controls, this level has you aggressively flying off ramps / into your mates every 5 seconds and it is absolute chaos. This was the first game in the series I played online and nearly resulted in a broken tv many a time, can’t even blame the inadequate Wiimote safety strap on that one. Great fun though.

4. Mario Kart 7: Rainbow Road

“This Rainbow Road kicks butt for me for one main reason: no laps! As a downhill sprint race rather than the traditional 3 lap circuit, the stakes feel higher as there’s no safety of being able to revisit track sections you’re comfortable with or nailing the same shortcut 3 times in a row. Plus, this style brings back fond memories of punching people off their snowboards in the SSX games on the PS1” – Joe Hogan

5. Mario Kart 64: Rainbow Road

“To be fair, this probably isn’t the best one by far but the one I’m most familiar with and most nostalgic for me. I was always impressed by the size of it, it seemed to go on forever (for better or worse) but at the time that blew my mind. I remember being able to get some sick air at the start and I remember the neon style artwork in space looking really cool for the time. despite it being the first 3D effort, it still rocks. Maybe I just like it because it’s impossible to fall off the level. I don’t think it holds up nearly as much as the other’s on this list. Wait… why do I like it again?” – Callan Milward

Brb, going to play Nintendo. Keep up with the latest from the band via their Facebook and check out their single below.

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